Livia Ximena Di Vittorio was the child that wasn't taken. She was the one who was left after her mother packed up and left with her four brothers leaving her with her father and a whole lot of responsibilities.
She now was the heir to the Italian M...
The last member of their little group I had been acquainted with before this, was by far the quietest of their little group, he was always on high alert, his eyes jumping around the room as new people entered and left the space. Maxim was an assassin for the Russian Mafia, his dad was a high-ranking man in the mafia and he was training to take his place in the bratva. He was one of the few mafia kids I had been selected to go to training with last year. We weren't close but when you are forced together by that kind of trauma you're bonded for life.
Nikolai must have known we knew each other since we had been selected at the same time but everyone in our circles knew you didn't ask about what happened at training.
He hadn't asked and I hadn't offered any information.
The only indication that Maxim had recognised me was the small nod of solidarity he had sent me when no one was paying attention to us, I had sent one back then we had gone back to evading each other's presence.
"Would you like something else to drink?" Andrei asks, being the ever-so-gracious host.
"I'm okay, thank you," I answer looking over at Nikolai.
"The party should be winding down by now, it's been long enough that we can kick everyone out without it looking rude," Nikolai tells Andrei, or rather demands.
"Since when do you care about being rude?" I tease, and he shoots me a look to shut up but since when do I ever listen to him?
"Come on, let's go." He stands up and pulls me up with him, I glare at his manhandling.
He pulls me up with him. "And where are we going, Kai?"
"You came here to talk didn't you?" I kept my mouth closed, I had told him I came here today because there were things I needed to discuss with him which was true but I also kind of wanted to be here for his twenty-first birthday, but you wouldn't be able to torture that information out of me.
I looked to his friends, Andrei, Zinon, Tony and Maxim had all been hospitable to me, well Andrei, Zinon and Tony had. It was nice to see glimpses into Nikolai's life when he wasn't with me. We knew so much about each other but we didn't know about our daily lives as we didn't see each other every day.
I kind of felt like I was intruding.
"It was nice to meet you guys." I smile at the boys.
"When are you heading back to Italy?" Zinon asks curiously, his white hair falling onto his face as he moves.
"Umm." I look over at Nikolai and then back to Zinon. "I have no clue, Nikolai and I have some things to do first, but it isn't tomorrow."
Andrei smiles at me. "Then we'll see you tomorrow."
"And how do you know that?" Nikolai asks, giving his friend a deadpan look.
"We're making plans to hang out with her, keep up Niko. She's so much cooler than you." Nikolai just rolls his eyes but I catch the soft look in his eyes.
Aww, he actually loves his friends.
"Good night," I call over my shoulder as Nikolai pulls me out of the movie room. The party downstairs had calmed down significantly in the four houses since I arrived but there were still numerous people around, Niko and I watched from the top of the staircase.
"How come you had a birthday party thrown in your honour with all these people just to hide alone with your friends?"
"I don't think anyone expected me to be down there, Ximena." He walks into his bedroom and I follow him, closing the door behind us. He turns around immediately to face me, leaving me stuck between him and the door. "What I'm more interested in is why you're here."
There wasn't much light in the dark room, the only light source was from the floodlights outside, streaming through the window. Nonetheless, I could still make out all Nikolai's features in the dark room.
We stand toe to toe, and despite Nikolai having a height advantage over me I didn't once feel like he had any power over me, maybe because this was Nikolai, my Nikolai, the boy who might have constantly annoyed me throughout our childhood but he was also the one person who pushed and pushed me every day to be better, to be stronger to be faster than everyone else.
He was the one who showed me that if I wanted something then I could take it all while standing right by my side.
"I thought I already told you, I have a lead on your rat."
Nikolai scoffs harshly, looking up at his roof and then back down to me. "Is that what we're still going with Princess?"
I swallow, my throat feeling dry all of a sudden. What were we doing? This was all new territory for us.
"I don't know what you mean," I say softly, holding eye contact.
"It means that you could have told me over the phone, or better yet you could have summoned me back to Italy and I would have, of course, come at your beck and call, but you decided to come here. Today of all days." He says harshly but it was in almost a whisper, just for the two of us to hear. "Why are you here, Livia."
It wasn't often I heard I heard my first name coming from his lips, I normally heard one of his many nicknames and if he did use my name it was in a place where we were with other people and he wanted to add respect to my name.
But I rarely heard it just from him when it was just the two of us.
"I wanted to be here for your birthday." I shrug lightly looking up at him, there was no use evading the truth now, it would just lead us round and round in circles and we were past that point now.
"Why Livia." He repeated, his eyes fixed on me. "Why are you here."
"Because you are important to me as much as I don't admit it often and I missed you, though if you bring up this conversation in the future I'll one hundred per cent deny it..." I was cut off.
Cut off by Nikolai leaning down and pressing his lip to mine, my eyes shut on their own accord as my arms thread around his neck, his on my waist as we fall against the door, pressing closer than we have ever been before.
Nikolai pulls away first but it looks like it took every ounce of his willpower to do so. It was almost silent, we could hear our heavy breaths coming out together and the faint music from the party still raging downstairs.
"Livia..." I don't give Nikolai a chance to talk, this time I lean up and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.
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It finally happened, I have been wanting to write this chapter all month but school sucks.
But it's done soon and we'll see how this all plays out in the next chapter, until then please vote and leave a couple of comments.
